RETURN TO PARAGLIDING
The winter season is coming to an end... After months in the wardrobe, your paraglider is eager to get back in the air, and so are you!
Whether you are a young paraglider, or just getting your confidence back after a break or an incident, the return to flying comes with its share of questions and doubts...
Don't panic, we've got plenty of good advice for you!
Maintenance and monitoring of equipment
Before you go running on the beautiful carpet of your favourite take-off, it is strongly advised to make sure that your equipment works properly.
For your reserve parachute, the manufacturers strongly recommend packing it once a year. To be safe for the rest of the season, we advise you to do this during the winter break, which is less suitable for flying!
If you don't know how to do it yourself, you can learn how to do it at a packing session organised by your club, as this is something that many paragliding clubs offer among other activities.
Accompanied folding, or folding by a professional, is recommended to avoid making connection or assembly mistakes.
On the glider side, an inspection is necessary to ensure good performance. You will find the periodicity of the check-up in your glider's manual, but as a general rule, a simple check-up is recommended annually or about 100 hours of flight/inflations.
To carry out all these checks we can only recommend an official inspection body!
There are many control centres where you can have your paraglider serviced.
Ripairwhich is based in Talloires, around Lake Annecy, is one of them.
On the ground
And here is your material ready to fly! Now it's time to think about you...
First of all, you have to get back to the basics, and here you already know the formula that works: the school slope! The perfect place to reassure yourself that you still know how to do it, or to bring back the technique and the good sensations.
As a complement, a good inflation session, in a light breeze, to perfect your skills and continue to refine your sensations!
Then, or at the same time, you have to make sure that the mental aspect is also there: do you have the "head" to get back in the air? The mind is essential to fly serenely and to make the right decisions at the right time (to fly or not, to place yourself in the sky, to perform manoeuvres in flight, ...)
Obviously the conditions must be perfect for a return to flight.
Oh yes, but are the conditions right for you?
Aerology
One of the pillars of this sport is the good reading of the forecasts and the weather conditions at the moment. Between the forecasts and real life, sometimes there can be surprises, good or bad!
When you start again, and as your instructors have certainly explained to you during your training courses, you will generally opt to fly at the beginning, or sometimes at the very end of the day, when the breeze is absent or rather weak.
Here are a few sites to give you an idea of the forecasts:
meteoblue
meteo-parapente
But also some sites to analyse the aerology in real time:
spotair.mobi
Balisemeteo
Do not hesitate to contact us to know the aerological conditions on site, or by viewing our webcams which give an overview of the Planfait site.
In conclusion, recovery requires a good deal of rigour and precise objectives. You must not lose sight of safety and not take unnecessary risks!
You can always turn to us to take over some days of trainingWe offer a wide range of courses, in groups or in private lessons, to ensure a smooth recovery and even to improve your skills.
As our Alain : " When in doubt, there is no doubt "
